Wasting Less & Feeding More

Learn More About Mississauga’s Food Rescue Program

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box of cucumbers

What is Food Rescue?

In the food supply chain in Canada, 44 million tonnes of food is lost or wasted every year before it is able to be eaten. As it travels from farm to kitchens, perfectly edible food is tossed out for a number of reasons.

Sometimes there is just too much of it. Sometimes, it’s thrown out because it isn’t ‘pretty enough’ (e.g. misshapen/bumpy fruits and vegetables). Some grocery items are close to expiration, so they can’t be stocked on store shelves, but are still safe to eat or be frozen for future use.

The goal of food rescue is to keep this edible food out of the dumpster and make sure it gets to those who need it.

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Little girl hugging Mom standing beside older brother

Why does The Mississauga Food Bank have a Food Rescue Program?

The number of kids, families, and seniors who are turning to the food bank for help has grown in the last few years. In order to meet this increased demand, we’re committed to finding more ways to source healthy food for our clients.

That’s where ReclaimFRESH comes in! For every $1 donated to this program, we’ll rescue almost $5 worth of food for our hungry neighbours.

In the first year of the program, we were able to provide food for 444,308 meals to people in Mississauga. This not only means more fresh produce distributed to neighbours in need, but it also significantly cuts down on food waste in our community.

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box of tangerines

How does ReclaimFRESH work?

Our food rescue program couldn’t work without the partnership of local grocery stores, wholesalers, and food producers.

We work with our partners to pick up the food they can no longer sell. Then the food will come back to the food bank to be sorted and re-distributed through our network of agencies.

Our trucks visit participating stores 5-7 days a week to pick up food!

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Pepper and two limes on top of a box

How can YOU get involved?

You can support ReclaimFRESH in the following ways:

  1. Make a donation online today: You can help feed hungry neighbours through programs like ReclaimFRESH. Remember $1 = $5 worth of food saved!
  2. Spread the word: Talk to your family and friends about how food rescue has a positive impact on our hungry neighbours.
  3. Come for a tour: We’d love to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the food bank. Contact us to schedule a tour today.

 

 

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